PESHAWAR: On Monday, the Climate Change, Forestry, Environment, and Wildlife Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa conducted an auction for four licenses permitting the hunting of Kashmir Markhor in the Chitral and Kohistan districts. Among these licenses, one attained a remarkable high, fetching a staggering $212,000.

According to an official statement, the top bid, an astounding $212,000, was submitted by M/S Mehran Safari for the privilege to hunt a single Markhor in the Toshi-I region of Chitral. The statement hailed this as a historic moment, marking the highest rate ever offered in the annals of Markhor trophy hunting.

Read more:Markhor Hunting Permit Sold for Record $186,000

In a close second, M/S Zoon Safari secured the license for a single Markhor in Toshi-II, Chitral, with a notable bid of $185,000, representing the second-highest rate ever recorded in the history of Markhor trophy hunting.

Additionally, M/S Shikar Safari clinched the third highest bid, acquiring the rights to hunt a single Markhor in the Keigah area of Kohistan for $135,900. Meanwhile, M/S Hunting Safari secured the fourth highest bid of $125,000 to hunt a single Markhor in the Gehrait area of Chitral.

The statement emphasized that 80 percent of the funds generated from the trophy hunting program would be reinvested in the local communities for initiatives related to community development and wildlife conservation in their respective regions.